ISLAMABAD: Bored during Pakistan’s coronavirus lockdown, Test batsman Shan Masood put on his helmet, picked up his bat — and Zoom cricket was born.
Masood, 30, was video-chatting with teammates when they grabbed their cricket gear and pretended to play a match.
“A couple of us guys were talking on Zoom and it was pretty late at night and somebody just picked up a ball,” Masood told AFP.
“He had a ball (in) his hand and eventually all of us got kitted up and we played ... a made-up cricket match.”
“So that was quite a funny moment where I kind of had my helmet on. Hassan Ali was seaming into the ball, Imam ul Haq was fielding, Wahab Riaz was the captain,” he added.
“(We) just made it into a funny little incident.”
Cricket, like most other sport, is on hold during the pandemic, much to the frustration of players and fans.
Masood said Pakistan’s squad had been training at home — sometimes using staircases and armchairs as gym equipment — to prepare for cricket’s return.
“Everyone’s been training, everyone’s been being good, and also that we have to take into account that this is the month of Ramadan and it’s harder to train,” said Masood.
“Hopefully that whenever this thing ends ... all this hard work that we’re putting in right now, even with uncertainty around, it (will) be translated into cricketing performances.”
Pakistan players push back boundaries with Zoom cricket
https://arab.news/84e9d
Pakistan players push back boundaries with Zoom cricket
- Like most sports, cricket is on hold during the pandemic
- Pakistan’s squad has been training at home to prepare for future tournaments
Liverpool’s Wirtz will score many more after Wolves winner, says Slot
- Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz in June for a reported fee of £100 million, with a further £16 million in potential bonuses
- The 22-year-old had failed to find the net in more than 20 appearances for Liverpool before scoring the winner in Saturday’s match
Florian Wirtz is beginning to find his feet at Liverpool and will keep getting better, manager Arne Slot said after the German midfielder scored his first goal for the Premier League champions in their 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Liverpool signed Wirtz in June for a reported fee of 100 million pounds ($135 million), with a further 16 million pounds in potential bonuses.
The 22-year-old had failed to find the net in more than 20 appearances for Liverpool before scoring the winner in Saturday’s match, and Slot said his performances had been undervalued due to football’s obsession with statistics.
“I’m quite sure it was a relief for him. This I could see after his reaction after he scored the goal – and the same I saw with his teammates. I think they were really happy for him,” Slot told reporters.
“In football – rightly so, maybe – we mainly get judged on results, and individuals mainly get judged on goals and assists. Sometimes we tend to forget what else there is to do during a game.”
The Dutch manager called on Wirtz to keep going after ending his drought.
“He’s had multiple good games for us but I also feel he gets better and better every single game he is playing for us. He gets fitter and fitter and was getting closer and closer to his first goal,” he added.
“Then it was not a surprise to me that he scored one today, but he would probably be the first one to understand that one goal is not enough.
“He will score many more goals for us than only this one, but I also liked his performance during large parts of the game today. I think he was special in a lot of moments.”
Liverpool, fourth in the standings, next host 16th-placed Leeds United in a league match on January 1.
